It’s been three weeks since Raoni Barcelos mysteriously collapsed in the fifth round of his UFC Vegas 121 main event against Raul Rosas Jr., which landed him in the hospital for days as medical experts made sure he didn’t die.
We’ve seen similar meltdowns in the boxing ring, and they happen often the result of brain swelling, which can often be fatal. Those close to Barcelos say it was nothing but exhaustion that knocked out the lightweight fighter, but the UFC and commissions will no doubt have the 39-year-old’s doctors give them a fine-tooth comb before clearing him to fight again.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know what happened,” Barcelos said. “It was a sudden illness. I got sick and felt like my whole body was really going numb. I don’t remember anything after that. I just remember coming to the emergency room, asking my dad what happened and him trying to explain it to me as best he could.”
“It was a really unfortunate incident,” he continued. “I got sick and to this day we still don’t understand what happened. I’m going through a bunch of tests here in Vegas. I had another MRI on Monday and we’re expecting a good result. The doctor hasn’t released the results yet and everything is being kept very confidential, but I’m feeling better every day.”
According to Barcelos, retirement is not out of the question.
“I want to make it clear right now that I don’t want to stop,” he said. “It’s still very fresh for me. To say that I’m going to stop, that I’m never going to fight again, it’s very hard now when everything is so fresh. I’m not even thinking about the possibility. Could it happen? Of course it could, but I don’t want to think about it. On the contrary, I’m trying to enjoy the moment and make the most of it.”
“I don’t know what will happen from here,” Barcelos concluded. “I need a diagnosis to really understand what happened, but I need to get on with my life so I can finally get back to what I love most, which is fighting.”
He added that he is on a six-month ban, which includes a strict no-contact term, and doctors have told him to keep his heart rate up. While the answer to what happened may still be elusive, it looks like he’s getting the absolute best medical care. If he can return, it will be the team that cleans him up.